It is said that the Hindu sage Brihaspati, the preceptor of the Vedic gods, founded and preached the Lokayata thought, though this involves a number of contradictions with Hindu scriptures which would aver otherwise. In all likelihood, Brihaspati was another philosopher of the same name. Ancient texts like Brhati, a commentary on Saabarbhaashya, Sarvadarsanasangraha, etc, mention Brihaspati as ...

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Carvaka, Carvaka - Destruction of Original Works, Carvaka - Madhavacharya and Carvaka System, Carvaka - Some Quotes attributed to Carvaka from Sarva-Darsana-Sangraha, Carvaka - Brihaspati and Lokayata, Carvaka - Hinduism Buddhism & Jainism vs. Lokayata, Carvaka - Abul Fazl on Lokayata, Carvaka - Lokayata on the role of Women, Carvaka - Notes, Carvaka - Bibliography

Read more here: » Carvaka: Encyclopedia II - Carvaka - Brihaspati and Lokayata

Vedanta: Literally, "the end of the Vedas;" the Upanishads; the school of Hindu thought, based primarily on the Upanishads, upholding the doctrine of either pure non-dualism or conditional non-dualism. The original text of this school is Vedanta-darshana or the Brahma Sutras compiled by the sage Vyasa.

(See also: Vedanta, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Vedanta:

Vedanta: (lit.) The end of the Vedas; the  Upanishads; the school of Hindu thoughts (based primarily on the  Upanishads) upholding the doctrine of either pure non-dualism or  conditional non-dualism; (the original text of this school is Vedanta-Darshana or Uttaramimamsa or the Brahma-sutras compiled by  sage Vyasa.)

(See also: Vedanta, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Bhagavad-Gîtâ: meaning "Song of God", The epic poem Bhagavad Gita was spoken by Krishna, part of the 2000-year-old Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, is considered by many to be the most important text in the Hindu religion. The poem takes the form of a dialogue in which the god Krishna advises the human hero Prince Arjuna before a great battle.  Krishna also talks about Sankhya and Yoga, two of the six orthodox Hindu schools of thought.

(See also: Bhagavad-Gîtâ, Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Mixed in with the Varna caste system was the Jati sub-caste system. The Jati was effectively a system similar to guilds, and was associated with occupation. If the Varnas gave structure to society, the Jati gave structure to each Varna. Unlike the Varna system which required spiritual purity in order to ascend, Jati could be changed with occupation within a Varna. Marriages would be arranged usually within one's varna, but sometimes between Jati sub-castes. Due to its inheritability, there is a lot of 'caste prejudice' between ...

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Indian caste system, Indian caste system - Varna system, Indian caste system - Four Varnas, Indian caste system - Division of labor, Indian caste system - Untouchables Dalit, Indian caste system - Jati, Indian caste system - Caste in Hindu texts, Indian caste system - Rig Veda - Purusha Sukta hymn, Indian caste system - Origins of the system, Indian caste system - Aryan invasion, Indian caste system - Transition in Caste, Indian caste system - Modern perceptions of caste, Indian caste system - Quotes about Caste, Indian caste system - Notable people, Indian caste system - Literature

Read more here: » Indian caste system: Encyclopedia II - Indian caste system - Jati

Indian caste system - Aryan invasion. According to this theory, the caste system began with the arrival of the Aryans in India. The Aryans are said to have arrived in India around 1500 BC. The light skinned Indo-Aryans, according to this theory, arrived in India from Central Asia. Before the Aryans there were other communities in India of other origins (see Indus Valley Civilization). Some of the most important of these are the Dravidian, the Mongol, the Austroloid and Tibeto-Burmese tribals. The Dravidians were the largest community in India, and are by some scholar ...

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Indian caste system, Indian caste system - Varna system, Indian caste system - Four Varnas, Indian caste system - Division of labor, Indian caste system - Untouchables Dalit, Indian caste system - Jati, Indian caste system - Caste in Hindu texts, Indian caste system - Rig Veda - Purusha Sukta hymn, Indian caste system - Origins of the system, Indian caste system - Aryan invasion, Indian caste system - Transition in Caste, Indian caste system - Modern perceptions of caste, Indian caste system - Quotes about Caste, Indian caste system - Notable people, Indian caste system - Literature

Read more here: » Indian caste system: Encyclopedia II - Indian caste system - Origins of the system

Yoga was first clearly expounded in the Vedic shastras (Hindu religious texts). Those that estimate Yoga's age to be four thousand years see the history of Yoga from this point. David Frawley, a Vedic scholar, writes: "Yoga can be traced back to the Rig Veda itself, the oldest Hindu text which speaks about yoking our mind and insight to the Sun of Truth. Great teachers of early Yoga include the names of many famou ...

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History of Yoga, History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?], History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE, History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE, History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE, History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE, History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE, History of Yoga - Today, History of Yoga - Modern growth of yoga in the West

Read more here: » History of Yoga: Encyclopedia II - History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE

The earliest text that records the deeds of Krishna is the Mahabharata. He is described as the incarnation of Vishnu and is one of the most important characters of the epic. The 18 chapters of the 6th book (Bhishma Parva) that constitute the Bhagavad Gita contain the advice of Krishna to the Pandava, Arjuna, on the battlefield. These chapters are the most well known of the Hindu texts and its importance in Hindu religious thought cannot be overestimated. Every religious school of Hinduism was expected to produce a commentary on it if it had ...

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Krishna, Krishna - The name, Krishna - Literary sources, Krishna - The story of Krishna, Krishna - The incarnation, Krishna - Birth and childhood, Krishna - Boyhood and youth, Krishna - Krishna the prince, Krishna - The Kurukshetra war, Krishna - Later life, Krishna - The worship of Krishna, Krishna - Early references, Krishna - The Bhakti tradition, Krishna - Spread of Krishna-Bhakti movement, Krishna - Recent Krishna Bhakti movements, Krishna - Krishna in Jainism, Krishna - Krishna in Buddhism, Krishna - Krishna in the performing arts, Krishna - Chronology

Read more here: » Krishna: Encyclopedia II - Krishna - Literary sources

Some historians accept that there is a significant amount of Buddhist/Hindu influence in Gnostic interpretations of the Bible. The standard tactic of Gnostic texts is to radically reinterpret a well-known text (usually Genesis and its related Biblical books) through the addition of an original prologue. However, this is not to say that gnosticism necessarily post-dates orthodox Christianity; rather, the two developed side by side, and ide ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology

Some historians accept that there is a significant amount of Buddhist/Hindu influence in Gnostic interpretations of the Bible. The standard tactic of Gnostic texts is to radically reinterpret a well-known text (usually Genesis and its related Biblical books) through the addition of an original prologue. However, this is not to say that gnosticism necessarily post-dates orthodox Christianity; rather, the two developed side by side, and ide ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology

bhashya: n (Sanskrit) "Speech, discussion." Commentary on a text. Hindu philosophies are largely founded upon the interpretations, or bhashyas, of primary scripture. Other types of commentaries include: vritti, a brief commentary on aphorisms; tippani, like a vritti but less formal, explains difficult words or phrases; varttika, a critical study and elaboration of a bhashya; and tika or vyakhyana, an explanation of a bhashya or shastra in simpler language.

(See also: Bhashya, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

bhashya: n (Sanskrit) "Speech, discussion." Commentary on a text.

Hindu philosophies are largely founded upon the interpretations, or bhashyas, of primary scripture. Other types of commentaries include: vritti, a brief commentary on aphorisms; tippani, like a vritti but less formal, explains difficult words or phrases; varttika, a critical study and elaboration of a bhashya; and tika or vyakhyana, an explanation of a bhashya or shastra in simpler language.

(See also: Bhashya, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Brahma: (Sanskrit) The name of God in His aspect of Creator. Saivites consider Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra to be three of five aspects of Siva. Smartas group Brahma, Vishnu and Siva as a holy trinity in which Siva is the destroyer.

Brahma the Creator is not to be confused with

1)    Brahman, the Transcendent Supreme of the Upanishads;

2)    Brahmana, Vedic texts;

3)    brahmana, the Hindu priest caste (also spelled brahmin).

See: Brahman, Parameshvara.

(See also: Brahma, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

In the fourteenth century, Banjarmasin was part of the Hindu kingdom of Majapahit, but it passed to Muslim rulers in the late fifteenth century. The Dutch opened trade there in 1606. The British controlled the city for several brief periods, and in 1787 it became a Dutch protectorate. The Hikayat Banjar is the chronicle of Banjarmasin. This text, also called the History of Lembu Mangkurat, contains the history of the kings of Banjar and of Kota Waringin in So ...

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Banjarmasin, Banjarmasin - History, Banjarmasin - Reference

Read more here: » Banjarmasin: Encyclopedia II - Banjarmasin - History

Upaveda: (Sanskrit) "Secondary Vedas."

A class of texts on sacred sciences, composed by rishis over the course of time to amplify and apply the Vedic knowledge. The four prominent Upavedas (each encompassing numerous texts) are: Arthaveda (statecraft), Ayurveda (health), Dhanurveda (military science) and Gandharvaveda (music and the arts). Also sometimes classed as Upavedas are the Sthapatyaveda (on architecture) and the Kama Shastras (texts on erotic love).

See: Arthaveda, Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Kama Sutra, Gandharvaveda, purushartha, Stapatyaveda.

(See also: Upaveda, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)